Kamal Ghorui
Pakistan are poised to leave out senior players Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi for their upcoming T20 World Cup fixture against Namibia following their underwhelming showing in the high-pressure clash against India in Colombo, a dependable source within the team management told PTI on Monday.According to the source, Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Mohsin Naqvi expressed his dissatisfaction with the team’s performance in the 61-run defeat to India to team manager Naved Akram Cheema.
“The Chairman left the match early at the Premadasa stadium as it became obvious Pakistan were going to face another defeat to India,” the source said.He added that Naqvi, through a senior PCB official, communicated to the manager that such displays in crucial matches were neither understandable nor acceptable.The source further revealed that head coach Mike Hesson addressed the squad in the dressing room, reminding them that they had fallen short of their true capabilities.“Late night the management think tank decided enough was enough and it was to bench Babar and Shaheen and try out Salman Mirza/Naseem Shah and Fakhar Zaman against Namibia on Wednesday,” he said.If the proposed changes yield positive results, it could effectively bring an end to Babar and Shaheen’s World Cup campaign, as the management is also keen to test young Khawaja Nafay in the middle order.Pakistan cannot afford any misstep against Namibia if they hope to progress to the Super Eight stage of the tournament. The side had earlier secured wins over lower-ranked USA and the Netherlands before suffering the heavy loss to India.
